When Tigers Chase Stars
by Tikiboot
Summary: Two strangers: one a burning heart yearning for the call of battle once more, the other a mysterious boy who claims he follows the stars to dispel lies and uncover truth. Both seek to undo the peace Naruto created, but what is the truth they seek to reveal and why does it threaten Naruto so much? Now, he must fight yet again to protect his family and save the Shinobi world.NH/SS/NS


Sup everyone. Figured I'd screw around with a Naruto story seeing as how it ended and all. Always wanted to write one for the series, but never got around to it. Needless to say, I've heard mad stuff concerning the ending, and it kinda gave me a little bit of inspiration of what I wanted to do for this story.

It's kinda all over the place, a bit wordy, but I'll fix it up later.

For that fight sequence, if you want some references as to how it looks, watch that Hero scene between Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Kinda what I was thinking. Also was listening to Battlecry by Nujabes while writing it. Kinda lighthearted tune for it. Other than that, sit back and enjoy.

I don't own any of this shiz either. (Do I have to say that?)

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><p><strong>Once upon a time there was a fox spirit with nine tails...<strong>

**A boy had the fox spirit sealed inside him, and the two spent a long time together...**

**A new calamity, the Juubi, was revived, but the boy became a shinobi and together with the fox spirit and the other shinobi they became one and succeeded in sealing it...**

**The boy with the fox spirit sealed inside of him was the son of the Fourth Hokage. Now he is the Seventh Hokage...**

**His name is Uzumaki Naruto...**

**He saved the World, became a Hero, and gave Hope to those that continued to dream for a better tomorrow; creating a Legend that would forever ring across the stars...**

**But the Juubi was not the last of his triumphs...**

**Otsotsuki Toneri, the last of the fabled clan of the Sage of the Six Path's, threatened to destroy all mankind; carrying out a vendetta which passed to him from his ancient family. He fought Naruto, and with the Moon threatening to collide into Earth, and the fate of all hanging in the balance, everything seemed lost, but not hopeless.**

**Yet just as a tiger has his stripes, just as the stars in the sky are endless, one cannot ignore what is True...**

**The boy with the fox Spirit prevailed once again. Saving the world and ushering in a New Era of advancement and understanding. **

**Naruto found love, found a family, and soon had a boy and girl of his own. With his friends, with his family, and with the world finally at peace, it seemed the Dream which Naruto hoped for seemed to become reality.**

**Yet just as a tiger has his stripes, just as the stars in the sky are endless, one cannot ignore what is True...**

**He had righted the wrongs, done away with the Curse of Hatred, and seemed to change the stars themselves; e****verything was as it should and shall always be. ****Naruto had finally found his peace.**

**Or so he thought.**

**Yet just as a tiger has his stripes, just as the stars in the sky are endless, one cannot ignore what is True****...**

**The world still has its problems, and Hatred - like a flower blooming in a cave - will always find its roots. ****Dreams can become flawed, Legends can become hollow, and the world a far more complicated place than Naruto could ever hope to believe. There are still many problems that need fixing, alls one need do is simply look and see.**

**Just as a tiger has his stripes, just as the stars in the sky are endless, one cannot ignore what is True****...**

**Naruto's legend is still not done, the Dream he has is still not yet completed, and the world he lives hangs carelessly on the breadth on a string of destiny.**

**And as a rousing tiger bares its teeth, and the stars fall from the sky, what is True will finally be revealed.**

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><p>Hinata waited in the cold quiet hospital room anxiously. Her hands were fidgety, her feet tapped against the linoleum floor at what seemed to be at a blinding speed, and her eyes were fixed up at the ceiling, counting all tiles there. So far she got up to 54. A cold sweat broke on her brow. Honestly, this should have bee a "nothing" sort of check-up - merely a " just in case" sort of scenario that would only give her peace of mind, but with every moment that passed she hesitantly awaited the creaking of the door which led into the office; paying close attention to any and all pairs of footsteps that happened to come too close. It was absolutely nerve racking to her, so much so that she almost wanted to faint and be done with this. Though she cursed herself at that thought. Old habits still were hard to kick after all these years

Naruto, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to his wife's anxiety. Unlike her, he was having himself a time looking at the medical devices that were on the wall next to them.

"You'd think with all the ninja tools I use, knowing what the hell you call this would be easy." He said as he picked up what Hinata knew was a stethoscope off from the wall next to them

"Y-Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh." Hinata responded.

"So, I mean, I know you put these on your ears, but what do they do?" Naruto placed the stethoscope on his head and looked over at his wife.

She had to admit, even when she was feeling like this, he always had a knack of making her feel a little better in these situations. His carefree nature certainly was infectious, and it gave her a little comfort in knowing that he decided to be with her here today anyway. Taking time out of his busy schedule as Hokage meant a lot, she knew, as there were many things that needed dealing with. There was paperwork to be done, meetings to be had, and the occasional allotting of missions to the genins. It was always a full plate, something that she would never envision after seeing Tsunade and Kakashi handle the positions. But if one could say anything about Naruto as Hokage, he was anything but diligent. A surprise in of itself.

"Wow, hey! I can hear my heartbeat in this thing." Naruto exclaimed.

Placing the stethoscope underneath his black, long sleeve shirt, he held the metal disk on his chest. Hinata blushed a little at seeing her husband revealing his still surprisingly toned body. She giggled a bit at that.

There was a time where even the mere sound of Naruto's voice would've send her into fits, completely incapacitating her until either Akamaru's licks or Shino's insects managed to snap her out of her funk; which wasn't fun at all. Hinata still shudders at the feeling of those bugs crawling all around her. Shino said that it was the least invasive way for her to wake up, but for some reason she thought Shino had _They didn't need to go into my jacket, though _she thought thinking of one time.

Thank goodness she matured enough not to be completely enthralled by the thought of a naked Naruto anymore. Age and motherhood has certainly tempered her more immature antics, and for the best she might add. No longer did Naruto and his toned six-pack abs, his well defined chest and arms, his alluringly warm skin, and his tremendously massive, monstrously-sized heart which could melt even the iciest of demeanors shake her bearings. But what could shake her was his...

"Oi, oi, oi, Hinata you okay!? Naruto said rushing to his wife, kneeling in front of her. "Your nose."

"M-My nose?"

"Yeah, it's bleeding a little bit."

"What!?" Hinata reached up to cover her nose, trying to hide the tell-tale signs of lewd thoughts. Thank goodness for Naruto's naivety though. Amazing. Considering that he spent two years training with Jiraiya the author

"Jeez, you don't think that has anything to do with your nausea do you?" Naruto asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Ha, I really don't think this has anything to do with that." Hinata smiled behind her hand that cupped her nose, but Naruto still seemed incredulous at that.

"I don't know. I think I should tell Sakura about that when she gets back." Naruto straightened himself up from his position and cast an annoyed look at the door.

"And what the heck is taking her so long anyway, I mean, I am the Hokage and all." Naruto looked down at the stethoscope in his hands, puffing out his cheeks in feigned exasperation.

"I am the one that pays for this hospital in the first place." But just as he said that, the door to the office opened.

"Well excuse us for having other patients." came the remark from Konoha Hospital's Head.

Her pink hair was kept clipped to the left side of her face, revealing the small yet clearly recognizable rhombus marking denoting her mastery of the Strength of a Hundred, a technique passed down to her by her impassioned teacher and former Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. Like her former teacher, Sakura had gained a certain air about her that gave her the command of a room as soon as she walked in. With her red long-sleeved blouse hidden by a large white labcoat, form-fitting black pants bottomed out with her customary shinobi sandals, and a peeved look on her face directed at a certain someone tampering with her stethoscope, Sakura looked every bit the part of stern disciplinarian. Naruto immediately edged away from the combustible pink-haired woman.

"Ah, haha, Sakura, yo-you snuck up on us there. I was just saying uhhhh - that I -" Naruto stammered for the words, but Sakura looked to be having none of his antics. If her arched eyebrow and condescending look was anything to go by, what Naruto had to say would do nothing to sate her. Already a long day at the hospital, it was only compounded by a request from the Hokage and an impromptu visit at seven at night.

"Just to let you know I've been running a ten-hour shift here, and out of the goodness of my heart, I was more than accommodating by having you come on such short notice." Sakura plopped the files she had carried underneath her arm on her desk, a large bang signifying her annoyance. Naruto fidgeted a little and quickly took his seat right next to his wife.

"Thank you for taking us in on such short notice, Sakura-san. I can understand how inconvenient this is for you. I just wanted to be sure." Hinata said sweetly.

Sakura crossed her arms across her chest, but then brought her right hand up to rub her temple. It had been throbbing all day. It was as if the reaction signified that she was so tired, there was no correlation between what she wanted and what her body was doing. It had just been one of those days. The children's ward was in chaos, her nurses were all finding excuses to go on break early, and not too long ago Sakura had tended to an old man who was complaining of back pain, only to find that all he wanted was for her to give him a massage. She thought he was genuinely in pain until he asked her if she could give him a "happy ending". Needless to say he didn't get one. He did get a chakra induced pinch of his sciatic nerve though.

"No, please Hinata it's really nothing. Trust me, for you I would do anything. Just today's proving to be a little more hectic than I'd like it to be is all."

"You need any help?" Naruto asked.

Sakura looked over in his direction to see the stethoscope now roped around his head. Sakura laughed a little to herself at seeing this, but she knew why Naruto was acting 'more' than himself today. Though he didn't show it, Naruto perceived more than he was letting on, and she figured this was all a show to get Hinata to lighten up a bit.

Clutching his hand, Hinata pleaded with her husband to put the stethoscope away, but Naruto goofily smiled in her direction and shook his head. "What? Don't look good?"

Hinata didn't know if she should be embarrassed or be amused at her husband's antics, and though Naruto seemed to ever lighten the mood with his goofball-type humor, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the two. She could tell that Naruto was actually happy; that smile, that laugh. The goof was always good at showing what he felt on his sleeves, and despite the years of wearing a mask to cover his pain, Sakura knew that was no longer the case.

FInding love in the most unlikeliest of places made it all the more fulfilling. Everything's got to be somewhere, and even though Sakura will always hold a special place in his thoughts, it was Hinata who had found a place in his heart. Naruto could finally become the father he had always dreamed he would be, the one he longed for when he was alone. Hinata had given him two beautiful children, Bolt and Himawari, and right now he was about to find that she was going to give him a third.

"Well," Sakura began opening up the files on her desk, "if I can have both of your attention right now, I'd like to first and foremost say "Congratulations"...Again"

That immediately broke the couple from their conversation - Well, not really conversation so much as Hinata untangling the stethoscope from around Naruto, but as soon as she heard that her heart stopped. Her face became beat red once more, and her hands went straight to her stomach.

"A-Again?" Hinata quivered at realizing that she would have to struggle through the miracle of childbirth one more time. All those memories of back pains, swelling, odd eating habits, and the mood swings flooded back to the forefront of her mind.

Naruto on the other hand was a different story.

"Again...Again?... Again! Hinata we did it! It's happening again!" Naruto said excitedly.

Jumping for joy at hearing the news, he threw his arms around his wife and brought her in close for a hug. The sound of his joyous laughter echoed throughout the room, and most likely could be heard throughout the section of the hospital they were in; the door was open and a few nurses stopped to see what all the commotion was about. Sakura waved them away, but Naruto could care less. He was too excited, and Hinata blushed at the close proximity her husband brought her. She never was quite able to match her husband's comfort level at showing public shows of affection, so this was something that - though expected - still gave Hinata a slight hiccup whenever he would do this.

"I can't believe it! You're having a baby - I'm having a baby - We're gonna be a mommy and daddy again!" Naruto immediately ran to the door of Sakura's office to scream his news to everyone, but Hinata tugged on his shirt before he could reach it.

"Naruto, please," Hinata didn't want to make this into any more of a fuss than it was, and for the most part this wasn't as joyous for her as it might have been for him. Of course, she was overwhelmed, yet the hassle of childbirth was soon outweighing the joys of it. Though she was happy to be a mother again, nine months from now might be a different story. It was the one of the few times Hinata would curse almost as bad as Kiba.

Sakura smiled at the couple's antics even more. A happy family welcoming a new child into this world - a world that Naruto himself helped create - was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Though she was Head of Staff here at the hospital, she long gave up her role as head-surgeon. Due to the peaceful times, ninja rarely came in with serious wounds anymore. It made her switch to the maternity ward much more gratifying and seamless. There was still the same amount of blood involved, but at the end of the day, when Sakura was able to hold the newborn for the first time, it made her heart skip with nostalgia; it always reminded her of when she held Sarada for the first time and how much joy it had brought her.

It was also one of the few times Sasuke had spent any extended time with his family.

She remembered the day they brought Sarada home; remembered how Sasuke had the small smile he carried on his face from the hospital, all the way home, and all the while he cradled his newborn daughter. She remembered how he told Sakura that he loved her and would always keep her and their daughter safe. It made Sakura nearly cry at hearing such tender words, and she wondered if Sasuke wouldn't consider staying home longer than his previous stays in the past had been. He did. Staying for about six months, Sasuke had surprisingly been very supportive and helpful in his duties of being a father. His stay saw him help out with the newly created police force that patrols the city above the village, saw him help Naruto out with his Hokage duties, and even teach a few classes at the Academy. That was interesting. "Sasuke-sensei". It was funny to think about, and every so often she'd use that as funny pet-name. He bemoaned working with the kids, always bringing home stories of the antics that Bolt would always hav ein the middle of class, but Sakura found that the days he did go to school were also the ones where he seemed most content.

Yes, her Avenger secretly loved children, but he would never admit it. Perhaps it was to keep up appearances, but either way she couldn't wait until they would have more.

Yet, Sasuke's prolonged stay with her and his daughter meant that he'd be gone a lot longer this time, which made his departure from home that much harder. Sakura - try as she might - tried to get angry at him like whenever she did with Naruto back when they were younger, trying to tell him that his life was with his family now, but Sasuke was a lot harder to deal with than Naruto. She couldn't hit him or smack him like her blonde-headed knucklehead, for some reason she felt that Sasuke would be a lot less open to that way of negotiation. As Sakura fumed, Sasuke stayed silent. The more she yelled, the longer he'd sit there in silence. Sasuke would never yell back, would never say anything to anger Sakura more, but would just sigh and take it all in stride. Sakura wondered if it was because he felt guilty about their past history that he never lashed out. She told him not to be, as that chapter in their lives was over, and the only way they were going to move in is let the past go, but that was a difficult one for Sasuke.

The past was always something which would be hard to forget. It would always be there, and like a deep valley cleaving two hills, there will always be a divide for Sasuke. On the one hand his turning a new leaf (pun intended) allowed for him to finally have the love he sought, but on the other was the stigma of what his family had done, of what he had done, and what some still whisper behind his back. In a way Sakura could understand. This man had at one time based his entire existence over what happened to him in the past, so it was only natural that it would be a hard habit to kick. Yet, the problem wasn't that he needed time to heal, but the fact he nary said a word whenever he did leave. And where he went she had no idea. It was sad to her, that even though the war was over, and though the world was more peaceful now than it ever was, the same could not be said for Sasuke; his soul still searched for something. Maybe it was a semblance of peace, maybe it was penance, or maybe all those years of wandering imprinted in him an anxiousness that always necessitated movement. Sakura didn't know, nor did it bother her. For whatever space Sasuke gave himself when he was away, he made sure to be doubly close to Sakura when he was near.

Sakura pushed those thoughts from her head however and just stared at her blonde knucklehead and his doting wife. _They were made for each other_, she thought to herself.

Naruto was still jumping around half-hysterical at the news, while Hinata tried to contain him, but was visibly joyous at his hyperness. Sakura decided to intervene to save the poor woman. Hinata might have been a nice, docile wife to Naruto, but that wasn't what was necessary to control him. Sometimes dogs need to be calmed with a tap of the stick, rather than hushed command.

"Naruto," she said softly at first trying to calm him down.

"Naruto" came her call again, but it still fell on deaf ears.

Naruto had already starting on getting to the baby names when he was broken from his thoughts by the sound of large fist banging a desk and wood cracking.

"NARUTO!" The one in which she directed her outburst immediately blanched.

"Ah, hehe, s-sorry Sakura-chan. It's just - ya know - I'm a little excited."

"Do I need to remind you that your in the maternity ward. There are mothers and babies everywhere, and I'm sure they don't want to be bothered by you." Sakura scolded Naruto as she gave him a cross look.

"Aw, jeez, Sakura-chan, don't be like that. You can't expect me to do nothing." His toothy grin greeted his longtime friend, and she couldn't deny the warmth it gave off as he said this. Still, she needed to ease him off his cloud lest his crash-landing back to earth proved more than troublesome.

"No, but I do expect you to calm down." She said waling over to him.

At first he thought Sakura was going to hit him and he flinched. But all she did was finally remove that damned stethoscope that still managed to stay attached to his face. "You never can act like a normal person, huh?" she said as she delicately removed the damned instrument off him once and for all.

"Normal's too boring; I like to keep everyone on their toes."

Sakura gave him a knowing look before turning to Hinata. The procedure was pretty standard, and seeing how this was the third go around, it wouldn't be a hassle explaining it to both her friends. Appointments, scans, procedural check-ups were all doled out. Hinata was the one paying attention avidly while Naruto kept himself busy trying to think of all the baby names running through his mind. Sakura made sure that everything would be ready before Hinata would start getting into the swing of her cycles. It was all same stuff, different day.

As Sakura outlined what the next couple of months would be for Hinata, Naruto took this as a chance to take a quick respite before his duties of Hokage needed handling again. Slinking off toward the door, Naruto left Sakura's office and walked. Where he was walking to he didn't know nor did he care, but wherever he did go the large smile on his face would sure follow. He turned a corner and came across the room which kept all the newborns, the large window extending all the way down the length of the hallway. A few couples were looking and cooing over the babies that dozed peacefully in their tiny, little cribs. He remembered the last two times he and Hinata stared into this room together.

Brimming with happiness and content that everything about him was at peace, he decided that perhaps basking in this moment wouldn't be the most out of line thing he could do. Maybe no one would mind if he was a little late getting back to the tower? It was already seven at night, so really whatever more could be done can be put off for tomorrow. Shikamaru might think against this, but whatever, Naruto could handle that. Coming across a door at the end of the hallway, Naruto walked through and

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><p><em>"Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!" <em>Sakura thought as she paced the hallways of her hospital. _"Of all the people that wants to disappear for two hours, it's got to be you."_

Sakura turned the corner of the maternity ward and rushed passed a few of her nurses that that were settling things down after the half-hour of of hectic searching she had put everyone in. It wasn't like she needed to do this, in fact she really didn't have to bother at all. Shikamaru could've just as easily sent Konohamaru, Moegi, or Udon to search for Nartuo, but Shikaramaru was smarter than that. _"Son of a bitch," _Sakura thought as she entered the stairwell that would lead her to the roof. "_You knew if you told me that I was gonna look for him just for the principle of the matter; I can't just let our knucklehead of a Hokage aimlessly wander."_

Sakura climbed the stairs, each step she took making a hard clap that echoed all around her. Hinata was sent home a long while ago. Most likely Shikamaru told her of the situation as well, but she had two kids to take care of at the house. That's also probably why Sakura was so furious at Naruto that she sent the entire hospital staff into a tizzy to look for him. It wasn't simply because of his Hokage duties, but also his family. Did he have any idea what Hinata might have been thinking? Knowing her she'd probably be worried sick if it wasn't for Bolt and Himawari.

As she climbed, a part of her doubted that Naruto would simply just be up on the roof. I mean really? Of all the places to be, of all the locations where Naruto could shunshin too, he would be on the roof? It was so simplistic that she kicked herself into not thinking about it before, but even she knew that Naruto would never let her catch him if he saw her furious; the shunshin made for a convenient escape whenever he wanted a moment. _"Whatever," _Sakura though as she came to the hospital roof's door, _"All I'm saying is you better be up here, Naruto."_ Coming to the door that to roof, her hand immediately stretched out to grasp the handle. Flinging it open with such force that she nearly ripped the door off its hinges, she was greeted with a cooling night air. It certainly was nice for the growing headache she was feeling, but as she took a few more steps along the top of the hospital her head scanned around.

_"Where are you?" _She thought to herself as she looked around.

This place did, in some, bring back some memories. Not all of them good, but she did remember what happened here, almost as vividly as if it happened yesterday. It was here on this roof where her life absolutely took a turn for the worse. Well, she thought so at least. Here, the dissent between Naruto and Sasuke had grown so much that the rivalry they had devolved into hatred, a hatred so strong that it threatened to tear Team 7 apart. She was standing right here when her teammates charged one another with an intent that went beyond friendly sparring. The swirling wind from Naruto's Rasengan coupled with the static electricity from Sasuke's Chidori sparked a storm that Sakura was so fearful that they wouldn't be able to make it. Thank goodness for Kakashi-sensei however, showing up at the last moment and prolonging the semblance for a little while longer.

It wasn't an easy time. There was a lot of pain, blood, sweat, and heartache that was shed in the years following that moment: Sasuke's departure from the village, Naruto's promise to her, the training she had with Tsunade. It wasn't easy for Sakura, but they all formed to create the woman she was today: strong, resilient, powerful. She knew that she was all those things and more, but at the same time, she still retained the fragility of a flower petal clinging onto its stem in spite of winter's chill.

Gazing up at the stars, Sakura marveled at how bright they were tonight. There were so luminous and bright that one didn't even need to have the street lights on in the village to appreciate the view. A long stream of the pearl lights dotted the sky, breaking a white streak across the black expanse above her. It almost felt like some dream. Odd that she would never take the time to appreciate this beautiful sight more often. Following the brighter spots in the night sky, she tried to remember some of the constellations that her mother taught her when she was a little girl. A lot of the stars had stories attributed to them, but Sakura had forgotten most of them, lost in her eventful life. Though there was one story that still stood out to her and stuck. It was the story of the Tanabata.

Tanabata was a story about the meeting of two stars, Orihime the Weaving Princess and Hikoboshi the Cow Herder. It went on how the two were separated by the expanse of the Milky Way and a Orihime's cruel father. Orihime's father stopped his daughter and Hikoboshi from becoming married because he feared there love would prevent them doing their duties; for Orihime it would be her heaving and Hikoboshi it would be tending his herd. He was confident that because of the great divide which seperated the two, that they would soon forget about one another conitnue on with their lives, but that wasn't the case. Orihime and Hikoboshi's love grew stronger from their time apart. Orihim would cry endlessly to meet with her long lost love and ended up getting help from the most unlikeliest of creatures: the magpies. The magpies pitying Orihime presented the idea of them forming a bridge to cross the Milky Way so that she could meet with Hikoboshi.

She did and the bridge of the magpies were forever immortalized, for if one can see closely enough there is a trail of stars which cut across the Milky Way. Her mother told her that this was the "Lover's Bridge" and that no matter what happens in life, no matter what forces try to keep people apart, love will always find a way. Even something as impossible as walking across stars can be achieved if the love was strong enough. Sakura had always remembered that story. She always wanted to believe that it encapusaluted her's and Sasuke's relationship perfectly; that no matter what divide crossed them, their love would would cross it in the end.

She tried recounting the names of the stars that made up the "Bridge". First there was Ai, the next was Unmei, then there was Shoukumei, and then there was... A slight wind picked up to blow a few of her pink locks across her face. She brought her hand up to brush them away until a voice called out above her, "It's a beautiful night out tonight."

Sakura became startled as she looked up at the water-tower where the voice came. She was fool for not realizing it before, but sitting atop the large tank with his legs dangling down without seemingly a care in the world, a warm smile gracing his face, and closed eyes which made him seem more vulpine than ever was Mr. MIA himself.

"Naruto," Sakura called out. Naruto lifted himself off from the tower and dropped down to the rooftop below.

"Kinda makes me wonder why I never do this more often. It's so peaceful up here." Naruto said innocently enough, but Sakura wasn't buying it.

"Do you have any idea how much commotion you're little disappearing act caused?"

"Disappearing act?" Naruto had no idea what Sakura was talking about. "I didn't dissappear. I was here the entire time. It's just I didn't tell anyone."

"Yeah, smart move," Sakura added. "Everyone down here has been wondering where the heck you ran off to."

Sakura walked over to Naruto's perch. The stern look she was giving him meant that she was serious about this, but Naruto figured he could finagle his way out of this.

"I didn't run off, I just took a little stroll is all." He jumped down from the water-tower and walked over to Sakura. "I was just so happy that I didn't feel like going back to work."

"Tsk, I understand this is a nice time for you, but you should be a little more prudent in your execution." Sakura tried to calm herself to give her voice a nice soothing tone to it, but Naruto wasn't buying it. Even though he was Hokage, Sakura still always managed to get in a good smack whenever he was out of line. It was nostaligc in a way, but time certainly hadn't eased Sakura's bite one bit. Walking over to him, she nearly wanted to smack him across the head, "Do you even care how worried Hinata must be feeling right now."

"Aw, she's fine. Seriously, she's over the whole "Naruto-kun" part of herself. Why does everyone think she hasn't grown at all?" Naruto defended. In reality he was probably just covering himself up from an angry Sakura, but there was truth in his statement. Hinata had certainly become a bit more "stable" since them being married.

"Don't make this into an observation over Hinata," Sakura poked him in the chest hard, making him flinch. "You. Know. You. Can't. Just. Leave. Especially if you're not telling anyone where you're going. Shikamaru's looking everywhere for you and was such a smart-ass that he roped me in on it too."

"Damn that Shikamaru, can't get one night? He was supposed to be lazy, it's why I hired him." Naruto said bringing his hand to cup his head. He walked over to the edge of the roof and stared at the view to which it offered. It was absolutely enchanting to him. "Everyone's got to be somewhere, though. You found me - although it's not like I was trying to hide. You guys just weren't looking well enough."

She sighed at her friend's antics and gave up. Even though she might hear it from Shikamaru in the morning, Naruto wasn't going to be had right now. Not when he got all starry eyed and philosophical on her, but she didn't mind. In fact it was quite nice. It showed that underneath the exterior of this Savior - this hero - there was still that dreamer inside.

Sakura sighed when Naruto just gave her that sophomoric smile that he was accustomed to have. It was relieving to her that Naruto found someone that cherished him as much as she did Sasuke. Maybe that was what true love is all about: sticking by the people that are able to hurt you the worst,and yet always believing that in some small way your heart can reach theirs. Hinata was surely shunned by Naruto when they were younger as Sakura was with Sasuke, but in the end they were both able to follow the stars. She learned once while at the Academy that when one was lost, alls you need do is find the star that will take you back home and follow it. Maybe that was hopelessly romantic of her - and she was never good with eloquence when it came to describing her feelings - but indeed trying to find love was truly a lot like following stars.

"Besides, even if I do get lost, I'll always be able to find my way home." Naruto pointed up at the sky and the brilliance with which it shined. "Just gotta follow the stars. No matter what they'll always bring us back to where we need to be."

_"Just gotta follow the stars. The idiot's right" _she thought as Naruto gave her that sophomoric grin again.

It's never easy: hoping to find and getting love from the one who want is indeed like trying to change the stars themselves, but for every star that shines dim in the night sky, there is another equally as bright, shining your way home. These are the ones you follow. There is chance it will never be able to become anything but a hope, a dream, but in some cases miracles do happen. Simple signs of hope are all that is needed for love to blossom, like a flower in a cave; little by little, day by day, it grows to become the most beautiful thing, in a place where that sort of beauty rarely shines.

"Knowing that in the darkness we'll always have some light to lead us back home, back to the ones we care about, that is what's beautiful about it. Some get lost and never find their way back, but that's not the worst thing I feel. I feel that the shame is not ever finding your way, but it's in never looking up."

A silence fell over the two as they stood on the roof of the hospital. Sakura shook her head in disbelief at the poignant way Naruto had with his words; how it was so easy for him to describe what she never could. Simplicity had always suited Naruto, but on occasion he would surprise you with just how in tune he could be. In that she had to give it to him. Though he may not be as intellectually smart as Tsunade, or as charmingly shrewd as Jiraiya, Naruto had His optimism always had a way of infecting every word that came out his mouth, and as she turned to look upon the face of man - though still retaining much of its charm it had when he was young - she couldn't help but blush. At that she caught herself though, and began to chuckle.

"Haha, you fool," she said as she walked over to him; the clacking of her heels breaking the silence.

"I guess we both followed our stars didn't we," she said to him.

Naruto turned to face his longtime friend and once-upon-a-time crush. "Yeah," he said, "I guess we did. Took me a little bit to find my way. I guess I needed a little help. Like you always say, I'm not the brightest person in the world."

His features became more vulpine as he said this, lending credence to the fox spirit which resided inside him. Sakura smirked but shook her head in disagreement.

"I didn't say to imply you're dumb, it's I think that even you sometimes need a little help noticing the things right in front of you." Sidling up to him, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Heh, yeah I guess so." Naruto smiled even bigger this time, if one could believe, and brought his left hand to rub the back of his head.

"Hehe, hey Sakura-chan, you know we shouldn't stand so close to one another or else people might start talking."

"Hey! No joking about that. Hinata is good person." Sakura pinched Naruto's ear at that remark and tugged. Always he had a knack of ruining sweet moments with that mind of his, but she had come to terms that this was the kind of person he was. If he had changed for her, maybe she wouldn't care about him as much as she did, as much as everyone did. Naruto had be

"Owowowow! Sakura-chan stop. It was just a-AAAHHH!" The cry of pain continued all the way from where they stood at the roof, to where she brought him back to the door leading to the stairwell.

"Yeah, well, don't test your luck. Besides, I'm a faithful wife." said Sakura with mock cold in her tone. And to get this fool back to the people who needed him.

_Something's never change_, and with that Sakura escorted her Hokage back into the hospital.

* * *

><p><strong>Amegakure<strong>

The rain had never stopped. The land was at peace, the world was safe, but yet the rain still had not stopped. The clouds were dark, the rain was cold, and even peace did nothing to elevate the charm of the industrialized city made of copper pipes, aluminum drains, and steel houses. Here the people endured today much the same as they did under Hanzo the Salamander, the self-proclaimed overlord of Ame; as they did under Yahiko and the Akatsuki, that woe begotten firebrand whose dream begat something far more terrible than he could've imagined: and the same as they did under Pein, a man who fashioned himself into a god. Or wished for that to be so. In the end however, the people that they lorded over seemingly outlasted any notions of overlordship those figures touted, exerting a perseverance only honed through living in the constant deluge of water and wind. In a way, they had promised much the same as Naruto did: hope, peace, and a promise to end the rain. It was wasted breath. The rain had never stopped.

Perhaps the only thing that the people could take comfort in is that fact that now, maybe, they could carry on with their lives with a sense of normalcy that eluded the land of Amegakure. A long time has it been since "peace" echoed across the sheets of metal that adorned every house, the constant pattering of rain against them drowning out any sorts of cries of peace, and turning it into white noise. However, even though it was an old tune which had been sung before, no matter how dubiously, peace was an acceptable commodity to have. Like the the biting rain it would become a palatable part to life here, and would soon become part of the backdrop of society. Children will be born, they would grow, they will find love and have families, and they will die, all in the comforts of the peace the Savior of the World gave them. In honor of that, in a center courtyard nestled within Ame, a lone pair of statues stood as a symbol that times of have changed: a boy and a woman, both with outstretched arms, grasping a bouquet of flowers. An angel and hero coming together and reconciling to save to the world. Unfortunately Konan never was able to see the fruits of Naruto's labor, cut down as she was by a member of the organization that she had her own hand in creating. Poetically tragic, but it was a fact that life was cruel and that death was no different. That is not a threat. It is the truth.

None knew this better than the hooded figure which had been staring at the statue for quite some time now. He was unnaturally still, unmoving to the point where he had been mistaken to be one of the statues themselves. He was small, no bigger than most children who were about perhaps twelve or so, but the manner in which he stood imperviously in the cold autumn rain gave him off an intimidating air of maturity. The wind blew his sodden, dark blue cloak, which covered his entire body and proved to be a smart choice considering where he was, clung to his small frame. A plain rucksack was draped around his shoulders, one strap going around the right shoulder, and it seemed to be just as tattered looking as the cloak this stranger had on also. No doubt he was some traveler that had the unfortunate opportunity of needing to stop in Amegakure before continuing on toward his destination. It wasn't uncommon for travelers to pass by the village, but no doubt it was still poor planning to have to brave the weather here and the ridiculous room and board rates.

But the small hooded figure had planned on coming to Ame the entire time. He was tracking someone, someone who was lost, and his long days of tracking finally brought him here, in a city as cold and dreary as he heard it to be. He looked past the two statues to an alleyway which led down to a red neon sign. The name it advertised was the bar he had been looking for, the bar said to be where his target liked to frequent, and with that his heart swelled with excitement. Yet, he kept his cool. It wouldn't be right to just barge in and announce himself like he had the sudden urge to, he didn't know what to expect when he would see said person. For him it was only a number of days, but from the information he gathered, for his target it was a far different story entirely. Still, with purpose in his mind, he finally made his way towards the alluring glow the sign gave off, the flickering of it cheapening the sense of hospitality it was supposed to invoke, but anything to get him out of the cold night rain. But as he started to walk, he took one last look at the statues he had been studying for what probably amounted to, he would calculate, an hour by now. He knew it would look odd, but his eyes couldn't help but be transfixed on one in particular. The smile, the spiky hair, the whiskers etched on his face, all those things made him stare with a longing that seemed a bit out of place on such a young face.

But his heart had steeled, and with that continued off down the alley. Hopefully he will find the man he was looking for.

* * *

><p>Smoke wafted all over the bar and covered everything in a putrid, ashy haze. The burnt oak floors looked out severely out of place considering this was an entire city made of metal, but the small niceties that broke people away from their cold metallic surroundings were always welcome. It gave off a nice warm appearance, but unfortunately that wasn't the case for Kome's bar. There was but only a handful there: one old man sitting alone at the far end of the bar, another group of fellas playing shogi at another corner, and a lone couple that seemed so out of place, but still enjoyed themselves all the same. Even still as of late, fewer and fewer people were frequenting his establishment. He had a hunch as to why. As he was polishing off top of the bar, trying to pretend to mind his own business, his eyes would always peer over towards a corner that was especially shrouded in shadow and smoke, more so than any other part of his bar. Only the small flicker of fire given off by a long pipe gave proof that anyone was sitting there, in a large booth that was intended for a group of six, but was now occupied by a party of one. Kome's mouth soured into a small scowl, trying to push the thoughts of "<em>Damned<em> _freeloader_" and "_Drunken_' _oaf_" out of his head before Tora, his bouncer, could take notice of it. Tora was always good at that - at reading people's thoughts - or at least that's what the portly bar tender had thought; whenever he would ask though, Tora would just give an unnatural, toothy grin and wave off the question with indifference.

Breathing in lungful of the smoke though, Kome coughed slightly as he bent over to pick up a few glasses left by patrons that had just left.

_"Damned smoke, can hardly breathe in here now with all that crap wafting around," _Kome thought to himself, but Tora was able to pick up on the sourness as he always did.

"What's a matter, Kome? Don't like the soothing scent of a nice Iwa grass," came the chiding remark from Tora.

Kome looked up from where he was, "I'd rather be the smoker as opposed to some second-hand pansy breathing it in while I work."

"Then you're welcome! You're essentially smoking for free off my money," Tora raised his full sake cup to Kome in feigned respect. "For all the hard work you do around here. My thanks, my respect, and my gratitude, are yours."

"And my drinks are yours?" Kome questioned in a sarcastic tone.

"Heh," Tora chuckled as he brought the sake to his lips and downed the sweet, burning liquid in one go. "Law of equivalent exchange: in order to gain something, one must give up something of equal value."

"Didn't realize your thanks was so damned expensive." Kome said under his breath.

Kome worked his way scrubbing up and down the bar, trying to get the polish to make it shine anew once again, but it was a futile attempt. He knew that no matter how many times he scrubbed the wood would always be old, old and tired looking, just like he was. Kome sighed when Tora retorted, always needing to get the last word in, "You would be surprised how expensive my respect can be be, old man. Just be thankful I can stomach this place, and the alcohol it serves, as well as I do." Tora's eyes alighted when he said that, almost like the combative charm spurned his lustful amber eyes to shine with an unnatural glow.

Kome wondered if hiring a man like Tora was either just another bad business decision he had a penchant of making, or seemingly a most unfortunate case of bad luck that the Kami forced onto his lap. He shook his head and muttered underneath his breath as he tried pushing thoughts out of his mind.

Pouring himself more sake, Tora wasn't mindful of his employer's thoughts, even though he knew they were filled with bile and insults. It didn't matter. Tora knew that if Kome wanted to cut ties with him, well, his Long Claw would have something to say about that; the long, sturdy, and powerful looking spear he always kept near him; it's ebony, jet shaft standing at nine feet tall and possessing a leaf-shaped blade at its top. At the point where the blade met the haft of the spear two silver ornaments - one a dragon, the other a tiger - adorned its side, they were perched atop the tuft of fur which was dyed red.

Taking a hearty puff from his pipe, Tora then pulled it from his mouth, and brought his sake back to his lips. The sweet peach flavor of the liquid went down again in a most pleasant way and Tora smiled with content, or at least as content as a mercenary out of work can be. He looked around at his surroundings, and though it was truly not something to be proud of, at least this was a place he could understand; a den that he didn't mind calling his own in the years after the 4th Great War: the War he missed out on, the War that changed everything, the War that ruined his life.

Slamming the sake plate back down on the table, Tora again poured himself more, and this time careless if said liquid found its way on the table. Thinking about it made Tora angry. Slowly and surely, no matter if was years ago or days, the fact was Tora dealt with the harsh reality it brought every day. It made his skin crawl with anger. To deal with that anger he had perfected a routine that would ease his mind from such troubling annoyances: a long puff from his pipe, another drought from his sake...

This might've been Kome's bar in name, but it was Tora's rule that held sway here. Tora looked around the bar - his den - and studiously gazed at all those that dared enter it. The sad and sorry old man that drank himself to oblivion, the ignorant fools gambling their hard-earned money away for a few moments of gaiety, and that dumb, young couple that seemed so out of place here Tora wanted nothing more than to slap their heads together and tell them to beat it. If this was the kinda joint that you'd wanna take your girlfriend to, then you're either dumb or dumber. But of course, reason why they came here was probably because this bar was potentially the safest one in all Amegakure now with Tora being here. Such was his reputation.

Another long puff from his pipe, another drought from his sake...

First looks at Tora would gave you the perception of a man bedraggled after a long journey. On his person was a dark midnight blue haori adorned with a red and gold trim that only went around the left side of his body; his left arm being the only one sleeved. His right half he kept bare save for the black, skintight training shirt he had underneath the haori. The garment reached down to his ankles, covering over black pants which hung loose about his figure and also a tiger pelt which wrapped around his waist and was exposed in the front. The pants were tucked into boots that metal plates at the heel and toe, which was quite odd considering that most - if not all - wore the customary shinobi sandals. However, Tora looked anything but a shinobi.

Another long puff from his pipe, another drought from his sake...

Tora had no headband about him, had made no claim of loyalty to any land or village. He simply was a wanderer. But wherever he would go, however long he stayed, he struck and imposing figure to anyone that took notice. A man seemingly in his late twenties or early thiries, standing at a height of six feet-two inches tall, possessing a muscular and toned build and long black hair tied back in a warrior's braid propped up in the back. He looked every bit as feral as some wild beast. Also on the right side of his head, a small braid which ended in a rat tail hung loosely and would move with every quick motion; slight stubble adorned his chin and upper lip; his visage was toned and exerted defined cuts; and his eyebrows seemed to always be arched down, giving him a cocky look whenever he cast his deep, honeyed amber eyes towards you. It all came together with a mouth comprised of threateningly sharp teeth, and two tattoo-like stripes arching underneath his eyes.

Another long puff from his pipe, another drought from his sake...

Tora was a warrior through and through, as he looked every bit the part of a predator. It wasn't just by sheer fortune he was gifted with such prowess in battle and combat, it was by design; the perfect warrior in all sense of the title. None could have held a candle to him, or so he was inclined to believe, for none he fought ever excited much of a challenge for him anyway. Partly why he wandered so long, lending his Long Claw to anyone that needed its services. It was simply an excuse to fight and search for the one that would answer the beating call of his restless heart, but the War changed that. Peace was what was on everyone's mind, and the void he wished to fill seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting fancy. Soon he would turn into Kome, a beleagured old man complaining about every little thing.

Another long puff from the pipe, another drought...

Or that old fool that came in here drinking himself to oblivion.

Another puff, another drought...

Or any of the other people that were content with peace, this "ending", this lie that was so unnatural to him.

Another puff, another drought...

It wasn't for lack of wanting to be at peace. Tora wasn't a monster that wished to sew discord and chaos, but it was that he was bored. He was born and bred on battle, and now that was taken away form him.

Another puff...

People looked down on him, people berated and judged him for what he was, but how can they? Who were they to judge a tiger pent up in a cage, and were arrogant enough to say they don't understand why he's not content.

Another drought...

No one could convince him to like this end, no one could tell him that life would simply go on as it has and shall always be. Yes, that is true, "life will go on" but in what manner of life can anyone hope to live now? There are no obstacles to climb, no challenges to be met, no more enemies to fight. It was all one giant flatline that they believe will keep going on forever.

Another puff...

That is not life.

Another drought...

That is just existing.

Another puff...

And Tora was not going to be content to just lounge around.

Another drought...And after he finished that one, Tora slammed the cup down harder than he did the previous times. The table reverberated with the force and it damn near shook everyone to the realization that Tora no Hataisha - Tora the Destroyah - was getting angry. The gambling stopped, the couple looked afraid, the old man tried to be oblivious but a sweat-drop on his brow indicated his worry, and even Kome looked frightened again. A hushed silence seemed to encapsulate the entire room, and everyone hesitated, not wanting to make any sudden movements lest Destroyah goes into one of his signature temper tantrums.

But something was off, something was here that wasn't before, and Tora looked over at the bar to see what it was that stood out. The boy came in so quietly that Tora nary picked up any sound of him or anything. That was a first. No one usually gets past Tora's keen senses, but there he was sitting at the bar, all wet and sodden like some kitten pulled from a miserable cardboard box. Tora eyed him suspiciously as he took a few more puffs from his pipe, and with that, a small semblance of peace came over the bar yet again.

Kome noticed the new customer and immediately walked over to see if he would like anything. Throwing his cleaning towel over his shoulder, he walked over to inquire for an order, but he was let down when he noticed it was only a kid. For a split second, Kome hoped it was just a midget that stumbled into his place.

"Uhhhh, hey kid I don't want to be that guy or anything, but this aint really a place for you." Kome got no response from the kid who was dripping all over his just polished bar top.

"Kid? Hey, c'mon, it's late. Shouldn't you be getting home. Parents must be worried sick." Still no response.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? Something happen or -"

"Shut up, Kome. The kid aint gonna talk to ya," Tora said back from his booth.

Kome looked up and shot Tora an annoyed look. "Hey, I aint going to get in trouble because somebody saw me serving a kid in my bar."

"No one gives a shit," Tora said "Do you?" He addressed the last bit to all those sitting in the bar, to which they all shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads "no".

"See."

"And if someone else walks in," Kome stammered trying to get Tora to see the sense in his argument, but it feel on deaf ears.

"Pfft, yeah cuz other people are walking in here," Tora said taking another hit from the pipe. He let loose another billowing spew of smoke that wafted its way up from his position to the ceiling. He then said, "Listen, the weather turned to bullshit and he aint got a place to go. It's as simple as that. Let him stay."

Kome shrugged his shoulders in defeat and said, "Fine, fine, he can stay. But if I get in trouble, it's your head."

"Ya, okay," came Tora's sarcastic response.

Kome turned to the hooded kid and asked, "Got money?"

This time the kid nodded in acknowledgement 'yes'. Kome breathed a little easier seeing that he might pull in at least a few extra bucks before he closes.

"All right," he asked the kid. "What do you want? Some food? We got that."

'Not any gooooood." Came Tora's response to that.

"Quiet you! I can cook well enough." Kome answered.

"...Ramen," came a voice that sounded as cool and clear as water. Kome looked over to see that it was the hooded kid that made the utterance. "Do you have any ramen on your menu?"

"Umm,...no. No ramen, sorry." Kome was slightly taken aback at the authority at which the little street urchin was talking to him. The voice had in itself a air of dignity to which Kome only attributed to greats heads of state or ninja. It coming from a boy that looked no older than thirteen thought seemed off-putting to say the least. And what was more were the two bright emerald eyes that shone out from underneath his hood.

"You have ramen, it's in the back room." Tora said.

"That's not on the menu."

"Who gives a rat's ass."

"I do," Kome rounded on Tora. Balling up his fists, Kome's thin mustache furled at the disrespect Tora was giving him. "I'm the owner of this bar, and if I say we don't got something on the menu, we don't got it on the menu. Friggin get that?"

"Please, sir," came the kid's voice. "It doesn't matter if it's instant or anything. To me that's fine. Besides, I have money to pay for the trouble. You think this would suffice." Pulling out a thick wad of cash from inside the pack he carried, the kid flaunted the large bundle in front of Kome's face. It was a thick roll. The thickest that Kome had ever seen at any one time in his life. His jaw nearly unhinged when the kid plopped the roll down in front of him as if it were nothing, and proceeded to stare innocently enough to not think that there was anything strange with the situation.

"Uh...Uhhhh...Ramen. Okay. I'll, uhhhh, I'll go get some from the back - and bring it here - to the front" was all Kome could utter as he half stumbled his way into the back area to fetch said ramen, it was intended to be Kome's dinner, he but figured that sacrifices needed to be made. Law of equivalent exchange or something like that? He hurried just in case the kid decided not to stay, and so taking the large chunk of cash with him.

As Kome bungled his way to the back, the hooded figure merely sat still on the stool he positioned himself on. Some of the people dared cast a few glances in his direction, but honestly, in Amegakure someone being a in place out of necessity for the rain was common enough. Tonight had hit everyone pretty hard, which sort of gave these few patrons a reason to stay in the smokey, yet warm, confines of Kome's bar.

For the stranger at least, it offered a quick respite and nice meal of ramen too to sate his appetite.

"Ya know, a runaway with that much money on him, flaunting it around in a bar like this, is asking for something real bad to happen to him and is too stupid to know it." Came the voice of Tora in the corner.

"I'm not a runaway." Said the kid.

"Yes you are, don't lie." Tora said. Nodding over towards the kid's direction, he continued; "Traveling pack at your back, gross amount of money on you, a naive regard towards shelter, and that pitiable stench of "I'm lost" hanging all over you. Don't think I don't know what that smells like."

"You must get that feeling a lot," responded the kid.

"Heh," Tora was mostly doing this to get a rise out of the kid, teasing him to see if he was as good at playing the strong, silent type as he seemed. Besides there was nothing really else to do in the joint so why not? Besides, the fact the kid was able to sneak into the bar without him knowing too was intriguing. _There's certainly more underneath that hood than he's letting on, _thought Tora. He picked up his sake bottle, grabbed Long Claw which was leaning on the wall next to him, and waltzed over to the bar taking a seat a few stools down from the kid. Tora stared at him for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, not saying anything, but just gauging the kid's presence. It was odd. Usually he would be able to pick up on a person's feelings

"Am I 'lost"? Not necessarily. Being lost is not knowing the place you're in or how and why you got there. I know where I am in this world, I know how I got here, and I know my place," Tora took a few extra puffs from the pipe, and then a quick swig from the sake bottle, "but the question of where I'm going in it, ha, that is a different inquiry altogether. You know where you're going?"

"I'm looking for someone. I followed his tracks here."

"Well," Tora said opening his arms wide, "you've certainly come to the wrong bar."

Tora sent his bottle of sake back to his lips and seemingly downed it with few hearty gulps. A few droplets of the peach sake trickled from his mouth, and the boy looked at him incredulously, wondering if someone could really be so out of touch with etiquette. Soon, his eyes dotted from Tora to a few things that he had noticed since entering the bar. On one side of the wall, where the wood wasn't chipped and cracking, there were a number of pictures and photographs. Some were small, and some were unframed, but a couple of the larger ones he could make out showed smiling shinobi, all with arms around one another. To the side of these pictures and off to the side was a small little shelf where a old, chipped headband was. On the headband there was no indication that it came from any Hidden Village. It didn't come from Ame, Kumo, Konoha, Suna, but the kanji on it did say one thing. The boy's eyes were drawn to the headband with a curious look on his face.

"What is that?" the boy asked.

"That's Kome's headband from the war. He likes to keep it up to guilt people in leaving bigger tips." Tora said.

"Why does it only say Shinobi on it?"

Tora quirked up an eyebrow at the kid's apparent lack of knowledge of the War, but also figured that he might've been too young to even know that much about it; his parents not bothering telling him something that he would probably take for granted anyway. Not like he had to know why his world was, alls that mattered now was that he just lived in it. Seemed to be enough nowadays.

"Because it's short and sweet, just the way propaganda works." The kid turned his stool to face Tora.

"You think peace is propaganda?" The boy asked.

"Heh, of course it is. What else is it meant to be? It's just another thing to give the righteous a reason to be arrogant." Tora leaned against the counter of the bar and took more deep puffs from the pipe. "Ya really know what that headband represents? Nothing. Peace, and the promise of whatever that scrap of metal represents, is nothing more than an unnatural affront to the natural order of the world. It's a myth, a trick, that gives people a reason to kill and call it just. All it is a theory as to how to better the world, but in reality there is no 'final solution' to anything. You can try and fix the world's problems, but the problem in of itself, is they will always rear their heads again; once Pandora's Box is opened it can't be closed."

"People lie to themselves if they think the world is better off and that it will stay this way forever. But everything that can happen, will, and so as the pendulum swings in one direction, it eventually goes back. Until then this is what we're left with: old people waiting to die, men gambing their hard-earned cash out of boredom, and couples having too many god-damned kids. Welcome to the land of misfit toys where there's no such thing as purpose, and all there's left to do is drink and smoke and screw until your too numb to care anymore.

"You don't seem to be happy with peace."

"It disrupts the natural state of the world, the ebb and flow of evolution, the natural distinction between predator and prey. Only through trial can man evolve, not sitting idly by in some bar; and as the world keeps going on, as everyone is all content and happy and comfortable, here I am feeling a lot like a hamster on some wheel."

Another billowing stream of smoke crept out of Tora's mouth. The boy did nothing to stop his rant, but indulged him. It was obvious that underneath the abrasive exterior of this man, there was a restless heart yearning for something more. Peace wasn't suitable for him. It was obvious by the way he talked, the way he acted. A man that was built for action now being pressed into a world of inaction, where there was no direction and no reason for him. It was here where they both would be able to commiserate in that they both looked lost, yet still kept on lingering in this world.

"What peace breeds is nothing more than contempt; the familiarity making us take for granted what is there in front of us. Nothing becomes cherished when this happens, everything loses its meaning. How much do we consider our lives when there's nothing at stake to lose? How can any of us be thankful to be alive when the threat of death is so far away? Peace is nothing but a disabling mentality that only the weak can grow comfortable in. It was not something that warriors can grow to appreciate - not something I can appreciate. I don't hate people for liking this, I don't mind it that there are those that seem to be thriving, but what about me? Even though I didn't fight in the war, didn't have any stake in it, why the hell do I feel like I lost."

Tora removed the pipe from his mouth and puffed out a large circle of smoke. It rose cleanly into the air, defined and thick, but soon disappeared as it faded into the ceiling rafters. His amber colored eyes stared off, for what even Tora didn't even know. Maybe he was looking for an answer that seemed to elude him for fifteen years, or maybe he was just wanting some consolation at the end of this. Sure the pendulum would swing back, but how long would that take. Patience was never his virtue.

"And the funny thing is, I can't even recall a time here when I wasn't fighting; like my life began just when things got good, and ended as quickly as it came."

"You sound like you're lost," said the hooded figure. Tora looked over and wondered if this kid was mocking him, but there was no hint of any sort of condescending nature from his posture; the hood still was kept on, covering his face.

"Your story is simple. You used to be a great fighter, I can see that, but since the battles have finished and the wars are over there's no need for a warrior like you. Now people might just call you a warmonger for even advocating a renewal of conflict, but it isn't out of maliciousness or hatred that you wish to fight. It's just in your nature; what you were born to do. You don't why this feeling always seems to burn up inside you, but it's a fire that can't be quenched; you're constantly looking to get back that feeling of how it was when you fought." Said the hooded stranger.

Tora was listening intently.

"You're afraid that what once was can never be regained, afraid that all the reflexes your muscles have committed to memory will fade 're like a animal pacing back and forth in a cage, hoping that by some miracle that once you turn around those bars won't be there anymore. You're a tiger whose afraid if he never uses his claws again you'll lose them, and when that happens then what? Most likely they'll kill you, stuff you, and stick you in a museum as a display for all to see, showing everyone what you really are: a relic from the violent past."

An audible silence was had throughout the bar. None had ever talked to Tora for as long as this kid did, nor as bluntly. Tension seemed to build, and all one had to do was look at the indifference in Tora's face to know that something was off. When he didn't have his customary cocky grin on his face it meant that Tora had listened intently, perhaps too much so.

"Haha, ya know there was a time before where I would've killed men for less. Shit like that gets right underneath my skin. Now I know you're too stupid to know what's good for you." The threatening intent with which Tora said this was palpable.

"You claim to know a lot about me," the slight murmur of the other patrons slowly died down as their attention honed in towards the bar. Many eyes lingered towards Long Claw which rested against Tora as he lounged at the bar. Their anxiety was well founded. "It seems, though, that you know even less about yourself."

"Is that so?"

"I think you're nothing more than a little kid that didn't get what he wanted, and is just lashing out at everyone for the hell of it." The old man that was sitting at the far side of the bar finished his drink and decided that was probably time to leave. The same could be said for the trio of men who hastened their game and proceeded to leave as well. The couple looked anxious enough, but dared not make any quick movements lest they drew Tora's attention. Slowly getting up, they edged their way to the door cautiously. But jsut as they left, Kome had entered from the back with the boy's ramen.

"Alright, we got ourselves one heaping bowl of ramen here. Now, that'll b- Wait? Where the heck did everybody go?" His question fell on deaf ears though, and Kome, being a former ninja and all picked up on it quickly.

Tora knew the old man was beyond antsy of what was going to happen.

"Hey, Kome," he began. "I'm pretty hungry too. Why don't you go to the back and whip me up some of that ramen too?"

Kome was at first hesitant, but the anger that Tora gave off was evident. Whenever he got like this, Kome knew that he should probably stay clear of whatever Tora had in mind.

"Yeah, yeah," Kome said half-heartedly. "I'll...I'll go back and whip up some for ya." In a panic Kome disappeared back into the back. He was so afraid that he barely felt he needed to pick up the money the kid left sitting on the table.

The silence still continued between Tora and the boy; the steam from the ramen bowl wafting up into the rafters, mimicking the growing anger that Tora was slowly letting show in his demeanor. He never took kindly to insults and this kid was treading in a dangerous place.

"I'm lashing out am I?" Tora's previous lighthearted manner was gone.

"You refuse to accept the way things are, and I can understand that."

"Do you?"

"I do."

The unsettled bar setting had become a desolate area which the two occupants, a blank piece of paper waiting to be coated by the. To think that a mere boy would challenge a man like Tora like this; a strange little stray cat coming in to step on the toes of a tiger. It was unconscionable. It was insulting. Tora gripped Long Claw a little tighter.

"A tiger will always carry his stripes, but the what lies underneath them is what is important." the kid said to Tora.

"What lies underneath...Hmmm"

In a flash both Tora and the boy sprung into action as their right kicked off. Dropping his pack, the kid jumped off his stool and ran himself across the bar, rushing at Tora with an overly large kunai he pulled from his coat. He sent a few quick slashes at Tora, but Tora deftly blocked the attacks with the shaft of Long Claw. Every swipe the boy took Tora made sure to keep his spear between him, moving to block the strikes as they came. Tora smiled though, marveling at how fast the boy was. The speed of his offense was so great that it pushed Tora back, the speed compensating for the lack of power the small boy packed, though try as he might, the boy was unable to get through to Tora. He lunged up at Tora's face, thinking he had an opening, but really Tora baited him into that opening. Immediatetly Long Claw's shaft went flush to the boy's body, using his own momentum to launch him towards the wall. Quickly, the boy twisted in mid air, planted his feet on the wall, and pushed off sending him back across the bar counter. He rolled to get back in a defensive stance, but Tora was faster than that. Tora brought Long Claw in a wide strike that had the blade scraping along the countertop of the bar, the boy quickly jumped to dodge the attack.

"Haha, you aint so bad at this for a runaway." Tora said as he brought Long Claw up into a offensive stance.

The boy prepared his large kunai knife to defend, but he knew he was already at a disadvantage due to the space Tora put between them. Spear users needed this in order to perform their wide attacks. The only consolation was that the boy had the upper ground somewhat.

"Oraaa!" Tora launched his series of attacks now with Long Claw. The spear tip was agilely moved side to side, up and down, trying to probe for an opening in the boy's defense. The kid parried a few blows, but struggled due to the mastery Tora wielded his spear. One blow he parried away from his face was redirected down to his groin, that one turned into a slash meant for his belly, and due to his agility he dodged, but that merely gave Tora an opening to bring Long Claw to swipe at the feet. The kid acted fast in order to dodge Tora, moving his legs yet keeping his balance. To break the onslaught of the spear, the kid knew he needed to break it with an attack of his own, and suddenly waiting for an opening, he struck.

Moving the kunai in a downward cut the kid hoped this would push Tora back, but instead the opposite happened. With a slight chuckle, Tora moved Long Claw blade with such speed that it caught the hook of the Kunai flush. Tora then maneuvered the spear with such mastery in his hands, that the kunai was launched from the kid's hands was sent careening towards the far wall. With Tora's back now facing towards his opponent, brought the spear horizontal wise to brace itself against the kid's stomach. The blow wasn't a hard one, but the momentum which was built up allowed for Tora to throw the kid against the back-wall of the bar. Crashing onto the number of bottles aligning the shelves, the kid fell in a dilapidated mess; broken bottles of sake and other alcoholic beverages spilling and causing a terrible cacophony. The counter-top of the bar hid the kid from view, but Tora smiled confidently.

"Alright, alright, show's over, kid. It was fun while it lasted, but there's no shame in losing to a guy like me," Tora said twirling Long Claw in his hand skillfully, having it land in a resting position.

"You fought well, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to beat me. Let it be known, though, that tonight was almost the night where you almost beat Tor-AAAHHH!" Tora didn't have time to finish. The kid flashed with an uncanny speed as he jumped up in the air, and then unleashed a hail of regular kunai at Tora. Tora scrambled to dodge, spinning Long Claw in a circular motion he was able to knock away one, steadied the spear in its usual stance to paw away another with the blade, and knocked away another by bringing the end of Long Claw up.

That motion necessitated Tora to spin to keep his balance. This gave the kid the opportunity he needed. Landing on the floor, he brough his hands together to form a number of signs; a cry of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and puffs of smoke then permeated through the bar, making it worse off then when Tora was smoking.

"_How the hell did he pull that off?" _Tora's eyes widened at seeing that there were now nine shadow clones facing him; hardened faces and cold eyes gauging his stance, just as well as he was doing there's.

"Ha! "Runaway ninja boy." And so the plot thickens. How does someone like you pick up on such an advanced technique like that?" Tora asked as he steadied into his stance again; his left leg coming forward, whilst having his right positioned in back in order to push off.

"You like to talk a lot when you fight." Said the one kid who was positioned in the center of the shadow clones.

"Only when I'm enjoying myself." A playful grin spread on Tora's face and it was obvious that he was relishing the fight.

"Then wouldn't want to disappoint you," the kid said as he and his clones rushed in towards Tora.

Tora's grin widened at this. He couldn't remember the last time his heart had been pumping so fast, awakening muscle memories and reflexes he hadn't used for what seemed like a generation. The first shadow clone that attacked him through a spinning roundhouse towards his face. Tora blocked the attack with the shaft of Long Claw and knocked the attacker away, however this led to another one coming in from below. Backpedaling, Tora spun his spear, making the weapon wheel backwards to cover his feet. The clone disappeared in a explosion of smoke when Long Claw's blade cut into its body.

"That's one," Tora said as he tried to keep track of the others, but the puff of smoke that erupted shielded Tora's view of another attack coming towards his face. The smoke dissipated as the fist was sent flying. It nearly caught Tora off-guard, but he weaved his head to the right. With adept skill he brought his left hand up to grab the the kid - or at least he thought it was really him - by the throat and threw him back.

'Best keep your guard up!" came the voice from above Tora.

Looking up Tora was surprised that two forms had ran across the high ceiling of the bar, and now sent two missile kicks directed right towards him. The first one Tora covered with a feint from his spear, spinning and taking the clone down with such force that it erupted as soon as Long Claw cut it in two. However, the second kick knocked Tora on the head hard. The force of the strike sent Tora a ways back, but the man still kept his feet however.

_"Shit! This kid aint no joke. If I'm not careful my reputation could take a serious hit right here." _Tora backflipped to gain more distance between him and his combatants, but they chased in his wake. All ripped kunai from their inside their coats. Instead of becoming dismayed, Tora smirked with delight as he roared with apparent pleasure, meeting this challenge and rushing to meet the attackers. The sound of steel against steel rang across the bar, movements so quick that they seemed to be flashes as sparks when kunai and spear point made contact. Seven kunai striking various angles should've been a challenge, but for Tora it was nothing. He knew that easing himself into the fight, into a perfect state of perception, was paramount to him. In a fight it was not so much important to see what is happening, so much as it was to feel.

Relying on sight alone was foolish in a fight. It begat nothing but an over-reliance of one sense over the others. Because one simply sees something happening, does not mean it is the truth. Feints, counters, blocks, attacks, all of them - in order to be successful - require a hint of deception to be successful. One needs look underneath the underneath to know what was truly there, as something seen to be an objective truth should not hide what else might lay there. It is the basis of martial arts, and in turn the ninja teachings as well: Perception of what is not shown on the surface, the feeling that there is more to what is objectively seen. Perfect that and everything falls into place.

Tora bounced the kunai strikes off Long Claw, and he made sure to keep his distance as well by spinning the spear in circular arcs. The kid's clones were having trouble breaking through the defense. They all decided to converge and attack with numerous cuts and slashes, but they needed to get in close with that method, and the spear wielder was well-versed in staving off their attacks. One clone of the kid lunged forward, hoping that there was an opening in Tora's defense, but he perceived wrong. Tora's widened stance merely allowed him to draw one clone in and poke it into smoke.

"That's three."

Two more attackers rushed at him and Tora guided Long Claw to swipe at first the one on the right, and then quickly going over to the other. Both dissipated at the slightest touch of Long Claw's edge.

"Five."

Four attackers now remained and Tora watched them all perceptively; taking out three clones in a matter of moments bringing a slight lull in the action. The kid was scrambling to form a strategy as he and his group backed into a defensive posture. Tora knew that he can't give them the time to formulate a plan. He rushed into the group with Long Claw pointing directly at their center, hoping to break them apart and separating them. Three from the group backed away while one stepped forward. Making the appropriate signs he called out "Futon: Kaze no Katta". The air around the edges of his hands seemed to burn slightly, and the slight blue hue of chakra gathering there made Tora focus.

Sending out Long Claw out, the clone that shouted out blocked Tora's attack with his hands, the wind being generated there acting as blades in of themselves. Pushing off the spear, the clone lunged at Tora who parried the offensive. The chops the clone sent were racked Long Claw as each blow made the spear shaft reverberate with force. While Tora was being kept busy though, one kid from the remaining three pulled two scrolls from his coat. They were large and he unfurled them with great speed. With a slight prick from both his thumbs, he made the contracted agreement.

"Gado no Buki" in a pop and a flash of smoke, where the two scrolls once were, was a large kanabo club and a naginata spear. The remaining two clones sped to grab the weapons and joined the fray that their counterpart was partaking in.

"Bowl 'o' goddamn surprises, aint ya!" Tora adjusted his stance to deal with the attackers, bringing his hands closer together to better grip Long Claw.

The clone holding the kanabo brought down a strike which Tora had the wherewithal to sidestep. The club missed, but it shattered the floorboard where Tora once stood. Twisting his hips to ensure his stance wouldn't be broken, Tora evaded the probing strikes coming from the naginata wielder, while at the same time keeping Slice 'n' Dice - the wind knifer - at bay with Long Claw. However, this allowed the kanabo wielder to get behind Tora and direct a shot towards his back. Tora spun to dodge the blow, which threw itself into Slice 'n' Dice who blcoked the shot with his wind knives. It sent that one sprawling back, but the naginata wielder still persisted.

As Tora was being kept busy with his shadow clones the hooded kid began to eat his ramen like he had not a care in the world. He slurped it loudly, enjoying every bit of the salty broth that coated his noodles. Even though this tasted like an instant ramen bowl, the kid knew well enough that it didn't matter to be picky.

"You seem to have kept your claws in good condition throughout all your years of moping about. It's good. A tiger without claws seems pretty harmless." Said the kid as he slurped in another mouthful of ramen.

"Jeez, sonnaf- Did you not pay attention to anything I was saying before!" Tora cried out as spun to counter the clones attacks once more. Balancing Long Claw upon his shoulders, he twirled to keep the three attackers at bay whilst building momentum for a roundhouse sent flying towards the kanabo clubber. The kick was blocked, but the force knocked the clone aside. "I'm not afraid of losing my claws," he said to the stranger. "It's my stripes that I'm afraid of losing."

*SLLLLUUUURRRRPPPPP* was all that was heard from the kid. He took in the ramen with as much gusto as he could afford, although it was particularly difficult to stomach the frozen bits of vegetable that weren't heated properly.

"What sets predators and prey apart are the markings they carry, and I've always carried mine with pride," Tora called as he deftly evaded the naginata's sweeping strikes, only to be cut from behind by a wind knife. The sharp pain of it being felt across his right shoulder, Tora roared with anger and pushed off the clone.

"Ever since the war ended and the moon didn't crash into the Earth, though, everyone decided the differences between predator and prey don't matter anymore." Long Claw was parried up when it caught the kanabo at an odd angle. Regaining the balance of the spear, Tora sidled it along his shoulder blades once again and stabbed from there. "They strive to bring this fractious world closer together so they can better "understand" one another, but what do they know."

Planting Long Claw into the ground Tora vaulted himself into the air and centered a strike towards the trio of clones. Two ducked out the way while the one holding the kanabo took the full brunt of the attack on his club. It was a powerful shot that was felt all across the bar, and the sound of breaking wood could be heard. In a matter of moments the kanabo burst into splinters and metal studs, and Tora smiled, but the clone didn't falter. Trapping the spear now with his bare hands it allowed for the other two to round on Tora from either side. Tora had to think fast. Letting go of Long Claw, he spun away before he was caught within the pincer. "Shit," he uttered to himself as backflipped onto a nearby table.

The clone picked up Long Claw and proceeded to get into a readied stance. "Hands off ya little shit that's mine!", but the clone merely smirked underneath his hood while its companions prepared for another foray. Tora growled with disgust that his most treasured possession - his only real possession - was in the grubby mitts of a kid too small to wield it. It really was though. Long Claw had at least four feet on the boy. The clones resumed their attack.

"People yearning for peace isn't a bad thing, perhaps you should learn to accept the world's changed and move on." Another loud *SLURP* was heard as the boy continued to enjoy his ramen bowl.

"My ass "move on"," Tora bobbed and weaved as he tried to contend with two types of spears. The naginata slashed around his face, while Long Claw poked at his midsection. Tora waved his arms in a circular motion as denoting his knowledge of Fu Jow Pai - a foreign style of taijutsu that replicated a tiger's claw. The stiff arm movements allowed for him to parry the blades trying to slice at him, and the wide horse stance that he kept made sure to keep Slice 'n' Dice off the table.

"You just don't get it do ya." The naginata lunged towards him, but Tora blocked the shot with his left forearm and broke the point with a clawed fist. The blade broke up and spun in the air, to which Tora grabbed and proceeded to use as a makeshift knife "Nothing is over. You don't just turn it off!"

The kid chuckled a bit as he picked a few pieces of meat from out of his bowl. "Clever reference. I wonder where you picked that up from."

Slice 'n' Dice came in with his signature chops, but Tora blocked the shots with his new weapon. "This peace - this "ending" - is a load of crock," he said. A shot of one of the wind knives rocked across his left pectoral making him twist off the table. He appeared a blur as he spun, but in a flash, and with a great presence of mind, threw the naginata blade at the clone. It was so fast the clone barely had any time to react. A release of smoke accompanied as Tora landed on his feet.

"And the worst thing about it all is that they're trying to tell me I'm the one that needs to conform; that I'm the one that has to accept what is happening." Tora said as he eyed the last two clones, but he liked his chances: one had a weapon too large for him to use and the other basically a broken stick. All the while the boy brought the bowl of broth to his lips and drank the last bit of his dinner.

"But I refuse to let them paint over my stripes so that they can go on living in their "peaceful" little world all ignorant and innocent-like; going on with their lives without a care."

Tora charged the final two clones. The one which held Long Claw charged likewise, but Tora was counting on this. Dodging the blade of his spear he trapped it underneath his arm and pulled back. Spinning with the blade of Long Claw angled perfectly, Tora met the other clone which was caught unawares by the sudden movement. The clone disappeared like all the others before it. A large cloud of smoke lingered in where Tora stood, masking his actions from the boy who watched indifferently from the bar. Nothing could be seen, but suddenly another loud bang erupted from the spot. The smoke cleared, and in the spot where the last clone was, stood Tora holding the stalwart Long Claw in his right hand.

"It's a lie," He said with deadly intent. His amber eyes turning a fierce red, the grin that adorned his face throughout the fight now having a sinister air about it. In a dazzling show, Tora spun the spear about in his hands and finally locked it into the twelve year old deviant. "You can't cover up a tiger and call it a house cat, just as much can't you cry out "peace" and say the world is better off."

"You and I have much more in common then you know. You feel that this world isn't suited for you, that you don't belong, well it's the same thing with me. We're both runaways you could say," The kid placed the bowl back down onto the counter-top of the bar.

"I aint runnin' away."

"Then you're a fool."

"You just don't know when to stop!" Tora charged with a blinding speed that almost seemed unnoticeable. Long Claw's blade flashed against the lighting of the bar, and as Tora closed the distance, the strange kid made his hands signs in the blink of an eye; they came almost as fast as Tora's spear.

_"Then you just don't know...Not yet." _"Mokuton: Yopparei Seigi," clapping his hands on the ground, the wooden floorboards of the establishment began to move on their own. Tora didn't care to deal with them as he Long Claw was primed to skewer his opponent to the wall, but suddenly he was stopped. His movement had been impeded by his feet becoming entangled in the wood of the floor. Tiny roots sprouting from the woods were pinning his feet down. Struggling against them, Tora nearly broke free, but the sudden cracking and bending of wood was heard all around him. Then two great wooden stocks erupted from the ground. Both ends clamped down on Tora locking around his neck and keeping him in place.

"_The fuck is this?!"_Tora struggled against the stocks, and though his strength was great, the summoned objects were proving to be more than he could handle.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Tora," the kid said as he walked over to Tora position. "But it was the only way that I could get you to understand. You'd be a lot harder to convince if I hadn't fought with you."

"Word of advice: don't let me out of here if you value your life." His muscles strained as Tora tried with all his might to break free. The wood threatened to pry open with any more exerted effort, prompting the kid to move fast. Reaching into his coat to pull out a paper seal with the word "Kai" scrawled on it in red paint.

"Finally meeting again. For you it has been sixteen years by my estimation, but for me it was only a matter of months." Tora still continued to struggle against the stock, but the kid was unafraid. Walking ever closer to his captured tiger, a small smile adorned his face, but it wasn't one of arrogance. It was a smile reserved for those that haven't seen a long friend in quite some time.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long, my friend. Tracking along the stars proved to be more difficult without you by my side. Fortunately, I was able to find you here."

"What the shit are you talking about, kid?"

The hooded visage of the boy was now mere inches away from Tora's strained face. Tora smelt the remnants of the ramen still lingering on the kid's breath and it made him all the more pissed. For whatever reason, this kid thought that he could just come in here and treat him like some damned catch. But the presence of the paper seal broke his thoughts away from his anger.

"There's more to you than mere wandering warrior, Tora." The kid said as he slapped the seal on Tora. "You've felt it all along haven't you." Placing his middle and index finger onto Tora's forehead, the green hint of gathering chakra could be seen. Tora wondered what in the hell was going on here, but suddenly had this odd feeling. The seal that was placed on him had incited a deep bellowing that was happening in his mind. He tried shaking it off, but it seemed like his soul itself threatened to burn out from him if this seal was ripped off this instant. Fighting back the want to scream out, Tora gritted his teeth and shot the kid a death glare.

"There's depth to you, but you can't explore it because of your cage." The chakra that was building up on Tora's forehead threatened to split it open. A groan of pain emitted from his lips - the first time he's ever heard that - his body went limp with the increased pain. Heat was building up in his body and soon it felt like Tora was fire incarnate.

"You must needs look underneath the underneath, to know that what is seen is not to be believed, and what is true is in fact hidden" The powerful genjutsu break created a whirl of wind to be concentrated in the bar, kicking everything light enough to be carried up in the wind. The photos that hung along the wall, the headband, and a few other things were kicked up. Tora was screaming now, but even then he didn't sound helpless. It was a warrior's yell that erupted from him; strong, proud, and defiant. His eyes turned into the back of his head and soon the white heat he felt pooled over him. Swirls of green chakra were licking up all around him and they lashed up into the ceiling.

As this was happening, the boy's hood from his coat lifted to reveal a mature but youthful face, his emerald eyes piercing into the paper of the seal. We'll put an end to the lie and change this world for the better. It's what we were sent out to do all those years ago. Alls I need do is set you free from this cage."

With one last effort, the boy pressed harder into Tora's forehead. "KAI!" he shouted. The resounding force push sent all manner of things flying and many of the bottles along the bar ended up breaking. Even the boy himself was blown back at the power which he exerted. His head hit against the bar as . The

"Argh! Sunnofabitch! What the hell!?" Tora got up from where he was. The seal on his forehead had vanished, and also the wooden stocks that held him. He got up slowly at first, and the boy was hesitant in thinking that the "break" had worked. It had taken up most of his chakra. If Tora would launch another attack now then he'd doubt if he would be able to stop him.

One would have expected Tora to be furious, but instead he seemed to be more content, almost happy even. Chuckling a bit, he reached down to pick up the pipe that was dropped during the melee. It still had a bit of fire in it, and so he took another long draw from it, inhaling the soothing smoke into his lungs. Looking back at the kid with eyes belying a sense of recognition, whereas before they were cautious, hostile and violent, Tora smiled a toothy grin and uttered, "What took you so long...". A large billow of smoke erupted from his mouth that coated his surroundings. It hung about the name that escaped his lips as he walked over to help the boy up "...Shin?"

The boy breathed with relief at the mention of his name. "Good, it worked." Reaching up to take Tora's hand, he was helped back up to his feet with a hard pull. He looked up into the calm face of Tora and saw that his star-crossed comrade had been reawakened from his slumber, that he had finally been found.

"It worked," Tora said to Shin, "And just as a tiger has his stripes."

Shin nodded in agreement and said, "Just as the stars in the sky are endless."

"One cannot ignore what is true..."

Two star-crossed companions reuniting after a fretful turn of events, and as a tiger is awakened from its slumber by its handler, and the truth of what lies underneath the underneath is revealed, the world will never be the same. Their journey has taken them through many twists and turns, through ordeals after ordeal, and now the stars have led them to this point on their quest. To dispel the lie which they feel has robbed them of their lives: one believing his stripes to be in danger of disappearing, and another whose purpose has yet to be revealed.

As they both left the environs of the bar and went out into the rainy night, passing by the two statues of Konan and Naruto, the Savior of the Shinobi world, one could only wonder what these two had in store, and if Naruto's Dream would be unravelled before all to see.


End file.
